There and Back Again
Frantic Scribbles & Senseless Ramblings April 2026
You’re reading Frantic Scribbles and Senseless Ramblings, the monthly newsletter of Asa Wheatley.
Making progress
A lot has happened this month and yet it feels like I’ve had no time to do anything. I got the printed copies of ‘Wich Witches in, which looks great, the cover colours came out so well and I’m super proud of the book itself. They’ve all been sent out to backers and if you picked up a copy I’d love to hear what you think of the zine and the games of ‘Wich Witches you play!
I launched the A Walk Within the Queen’s Wood kickstarter mere days after I sent out the last package for ‘Wich Witches, which in retrospect was an interesting choice but we’ve had an amazing start. As of writing we’ve just hit our funding goal which is fantastic! We’ve still got the majority of May to keep raising money so that issue 2 can get started as soon as possible!
If you’ve missed any of my previous Kickstarters and want to pick up one of my other comics they are all available on the Queen’s Wood for Kickstarter as well so this is the perfect place to get them.
Outside of Kickstarter related things I’ve been doing more work on Book Six of Shield Maiden. One of the stories is a really character and emotions focused piece, something that I’ve not done a tremendous amount before so it’s fun getting to stretch those muscles a bit more. I’ve got one script that is almost ready for edits and then I can hit the ground running on the second story which is a bit more traditional Shield Maiden which will be a nice change of pace. It’s fun to be able to balance both the more action focused stories with those that really hone in on characters and those smaller moments with the same character at the forefront. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again I truly love writing Shield Maiden stories and it’s a character and a world that I just want to keep going back to!
Sagas of the Shield Maiden Book Six - Scripting
‘Wich Witches - Kickstarter fulfilled.
A Walk Within the Queen’s Wood - Issue 1 Kickstarter Running
Project Slasher - 1st issue 1st draft complete.
Project Murder - Artist working on layouts/character designs.
Project Full Moon - Very early planning stages.
Upcoming Conventions
It’s still early in the year but I’ve got two comic cons on the list that I’ll be exhibiting at this year. MCM London is back in May and Thought Bubble all the way in November. I always love catching up with readers at cons so make sure you swing by and say hello if you’re attending and keep an eye on this space for table numbers and any other conventions I might be exhibiting at this year.
MCM London – 22nd - 24th May, Excel London - Artist Alley Table R-18
Thought Bubble – 14th - 15th November, Harrogate Convention Centre
All consuming, consuming all
Tenet - I’m not the biggest Christopher Nolan fan. I enjoy bits of his work but for the most part they aren’t films that I adore. Even his Batman I go back and forth with, I enjoy moments but ultimately I think they’re pretty bloated and the actual Batman portrayal isn’t incredibly interesting to me. After a point I kind of lost track of what he was making and wasn’t too bothered about keeping up with them. Until people started to talk about how weird and confusing and hard to follow Tenet was. I don’t know why but that totally drew me in. Because it was Nolan however, I didn’t go searching for it. Then one night we were looking for something to watch and I spotted it on BBC iPlayer and our fate was sealed.
From minute one I was sold. That opening opera action sequence telling you very little about the why and just letting you indulge in the what. Which I think the whole film does. Despite there being multiple points where characters are explaining what’s happened or why or how the film’s logic works, for me it’s more about just letting what is happening wash over you and enjoying the spectral. It’s Nolan’s version of Bond. A trippy and weird backwards future Bond and I was so engrossed in that. I think I managed to keep up with enough of the gist that I never felt totally confused but maybe that’s a case of you don’t know what you don’t know. Either way I loved it, the performances were great and the action was excellent throughout. Special shout out to John David Washington using a grater in the kitchen fight and the building that gets blown up both forwards and backwards in time. Maybe my palindromic name means I’m predisposed to love this film but either way I’m excited to watch it again and that’s a good barometer for me.
The Hobbit - I haven’t read The Hobbit in a such a long time, I was trying to remember when was the last time I had read it but all I could pull up is the memory of my Dad reading it to me when I was much younger. So maybe it’s been closer to 30 years since I’ve followed Bilbo’s adventure but I feel like I must have read it between then and now. Although I’m happy that my core memory with the Book is my Dad reading it to me and that the version I’m reading now is that very same copy.
I tried to re-read Lord of the Rings a few years ago but I’m a slow reader at the best of times. And those books are so densely packed I could never quite find the time to sit down and get more than a few pages along. The Hobbit however is a perfect little read. It’s got Tolkien’s excellent writing but with a less dense story, even though there are still plenty of moments alluding to things that have happened elsewhere in the world. Tolkien has that perfect balance of keeping you invested in the adventure at hand while also sprinkling little tidbits of information that make you want to delve into Middle Earth even more.
The story itself is also so out of the frying pan and into the fire in pace. It’s just one problem after another for the Dwarves and Bilbo. It’s adventurous, fun and I love that it starts with Bilbo pretty much not really wanting to be a part of this adventure and complaining about being there for a lot of the time. A truly reluctant hero but in a lazy rather than moral way which is very fun.
I’m tempted to go back to Lord of the Rings now because I’m just so in that world but getting to the end almost makes me just want to read The Hobbit all over again. Maybe it’ll become a bit of a yearly tradition. I rewatch a lot of films but I very rarely reread anything, maybe this is the time to start.
It also doesn’t hurt my excitement for all things Middle Earth that the Hobbit Magic the Gathering cards have started to be revealed and they look so good. I will not be able to resist the lure of those treasures!
There’s definitely something to be said for my main enjoyments being Tenet and The Hobbit or THERE & BACK AGAIN! A coincidence probably but I enjoy the mild connection and I’ll take whatever theming I can get.
You Like it, You Link it
Of course a little extra mention for the Queen’s Wood Kickstarter if you haven’t secured your copy make sure you don’t miss out!
Alongside A Walk Within the Queen’s Wood there’s a cavalcade of great looking kickstarters running right now, here are just a few you should check out!
Ruffian Meat: A Comic Anthology
Ruffian Meat is an anthology of horror, sci-fi and unsettling comics. Five of which are written by Losty. And one story by our guest writer, the one and only Gretchen Felker-Martin!
Clover’s Disclosure: It’s Probably Nothing #1
When true-crime-meets-occult teen sleuth Clover Kennedy tracks a cold case in Ann Arbor, she finds chills beyond the paranormal.